Sheet-metal work and means for making same.



.G. E SCHMIDT. SHEET META-L WORK AND MEANS FOR MAKING SAME. 3 1

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, IBM.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918..

2 SHEETS---SHEET l.

0. E. SCH IDT. SHEETMETAL WORK AND MEANS FOR MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED 0on2]. i911.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918..

2- SHEETSSHEET 2- i in.

GUSTAV E. SCHMIDT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHEET-METAL WORK AND MEANs FOR MAKING SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

Application filed October 27, 1917. Serial No. 198,772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUs'rAv E. SCHMIDT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Work and Means for Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to improvements in sheet metal work and process and, apparatus for producing same, and is of value where it is desired to prevent relative movement of a tubular member in a supporting frame or inclosure. My invention is capable of many applications, only one of which, however, will be described, viz., its usein connection with the manufacture of sheet metal parts entering into the construction of skates. f

The salient objects of the invention are to provide a means of looking a tubular member axially into a supporting inclosure through the agency of parts formed out of the metal of the member itself; to provide a construction so organized that the formation of the locking parts results in a tight fitting engagement between the tubular member andthe inclosing structure; to provide a construction such as may be applicable to tubular parts of non-circular crosssection or of non uniform cross-section throughout the length of the tube; to provide a construction which maybe produced rapidly and economically by approved shop methods and apparatus; and to provide an improved process and apparatus for producing such constructions.

In the drawings, which illustrate my invention as applied to the construction of sheet metal skate elements p I Figure 1 is aside elevation of a punchand-die mechanism for securing together the plate and thimble of the sole support of a skate of ordinary type;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the die shown in Fig. 1; V

Fig; 3 is a vertical section through the punch-and die shown in Fig. 1 showing the partsin the position occupied at the lower most point of the stroke of the press;

Fig. 4 is a section taken "on the line' 14 of Fig. 3; f

Fig. 5-is a section similar'to FigIAJbut showing the parts in the positionwhenthe punch commences its downward movement; I i 1 Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the completed sole support.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 6 represents the completed skate sole support which I have selected as illustrating a single application of my invention. In said sole support, 10 is the curved sole plate which is secured to the shoe of the wearer by rivets, screws, or similar means, and from the under" side of said sole plate 10 and fixedly secured thereto projects the tapering tubular thimble part 11 constituting the connecting piece betweenthe sole plate 10 and the longitudinal blade stiffener of the runner part of the skate. It may be stated that the runner isprovided with a longitudinal tubular member shown in dotted lines for stiffening the blade and which is soldered or otherwise secured into the opening 12. Such stiflt'ening member forms no part of my invention, and hence is not described.

Describing the detail construction of the sole support and referring particularly to Fig. 5, which shows the parts prior to their being secured togethenit will be observed that the thimble part 11 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal in the form of a cone 13 having a flange 14L and a longitudinal seam 15, which may be of'the type known as a Stovepipe lock. Prior to the insertion of the thimble 13, the sole plate 10 is simply a flat blank 16 having a circular hole large enough to admit the cone 13 approximately half way.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4t, and 6, which show the completed article, it will be observed that the inner edge of the hole in the sole plate 10 has been flanged down, as shown at 17, while the thimble 13 has been pushed down into intimate engagement with said flange 17, the lower end of the parallel part 18 of the inner part 11 beingthe head of an ordinary punch press. On the lower side of said punch body 20 I mount a pad 22 normally'spaced apart from the punch body 20by means of a set of comthe usual circular shank21 for insertion in pression coil springs 23, said pad 22 being guided and limited in its movement relative to the body 20 by means of a plurality of headed studs 24-, the lower ends of which are screwed into the pad 22.

The spring pad 22 is bored out axially beneath the shank 21 of the punch so as to slide upon a central stem piece 25 fixed in the body 20. Said stem piece 25 is preferably circular and carries on its lower end a slidably supported tip 26 made conical in shape to fit the lower end of the cone 13 of the thimble. It is understood that the tip 26 has formed in its surface a slight shallow grooved recess to accommodate the seam 15 of the thimble (see Fig. 3). The tip 26 of the punch is not rigidly secured to the stem 25, but is normally forced outwardly therefrom, as shown at 27 by means of a coil compression spring 28 inserted in a central bore 29 in thestem 25. Said spring 28 surrounds a longitudinal headed stud 30 inserted through the shank 21, and having its lower end screwed into a reduced portion 31 on the upper end of the tip 26 and which slides in the lower end of the bore 29. Rotation of the tip 26 relative to the stem piece 25 is prevented by means of a guide pin .32 fixed in the tip 26 and sliding in a small hole 33 drilled in the stem piece 25.

The die part of the apparatus comprises the usual shoe or base 34 which is clamped to the bed of the press, said base having secured to its upper surface a hardened steel die- 35 having a cylindrical bore formed therein and extending down a short distance below the upper face of the die. Below said cylindrical bore formed in the die 35 is an aperture tapered and suitably shaped to fit the upper portion of the conical lower end of the thimble 11. The flat blank from which the sole plate of the skate is formed is properly positioned by means of a set of four adjustable stops or gages 36, 37, 38, and 39 which are secured to the upper face of the die by means of cap screws a0 passing through the slotted feet 41 of said gages.

Describing the operation ofthe apparatus, the head of the press when in its uppermost position is spaced apart from the die a sufficient distance to permit the blank 16 to be laid within the gages on the top of the die while the previously formed cone 13 is applied to the tip 26 of the punch. Preferably, the tip of the punch is formed with a lower extension 42 suitably shaped to hold the somewhat resilient thimble 13 when it is applied to the punch. The parts, having been properly located in position, the press is tripped and the punch descends until the sides of the cone 13 strike against the circular edge of the hole formed in the blank 16 (see Fig. 5).

The spring pad 22 which, as shown in Fig; '5, engages: ,the flange 14 of the cone,

presses down the cone as the punch continues to descend, the springs 23 being sufliciently strong to hold the said spring pad spaced apart from the punch body 20 during such further forming movement of the punch. hen the outside of the cone strikes the edges of the hole in the blank 16, the latter becomes curved or bulged downwardly to fit the upper concave surface of the lower die It is of course understood that until the final spanking movement of the punch, the tip 26 is held spaced apart from the punch stem 25 by means of the spring 29.

Further downward movement of the punch results in the bending over of the metal surrounding the hole in the blank to form a tubular flange 17, the formation of said flange 17 being completed when the outer surface of the cone strikes against and seats itself in the lower portion 43 of the die. The downward movement of the lower part of the cone 13 is thus arrested. The spring pad 22, however, still continues to descend for a short distance until the final movement of the spring pad 22 results in the outward buckling or bulging of the unsupported portion 19 of the cone immediately below the surrounding flange 17. It should of course be understood that prior to the said buckling operation, the stem 25 has forced its way into the upper part of the cone, thus forming therein a short cylindrical portion 18 engaging the surrounding flange 17. During the time that the stem 25 is thus forcing its way into the cone to form the cylindrical portion 18, the spring 29 and the springs 23 are being collapsed so. as to permit such independent movement of the stem 25.

The dimensions of the various parts are such that the parts 22 and 20 come together before the downward movement of the flange 14: is arrested by the die 35, so that the full power of the press is available for collapsing the cone to form the bead-like bulge 19. The stroke of the press is so adjusted that the final blow of the press is given with the parts 25 and 26 also brought together in contact with each other, so that in addition to the spanking of the flange 1e and plate 16, the cone 11 is also spanked and thus forced into the desired final shape.

During the upward movement of the press, the presser pad 22 has the usual additional function of stripping the work from the punch, thereby facilitating the removal of the latter from the press to permit insertion of new parts.

The preceding description must in no sense be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which should be determined by: reference to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In sheet metal worln the combination 'of a tubular member provided with an out Wardly projecting flange at one end and a d'owirturned tubular flange surrounding 1o oiroulnferentially extending outward bulge said perforation and a thimble provided on the other end, and a perforated plate hav- With an outer flange overlying the plate on ing a tubular flange inolosing the plate perthe side remote from said plate flange, a foration surrounding and fitting said tube tubular intermediate portion fitting Within and interposed between said tube flange and and interlocked with said plate-flange 15 said bulge. against axial movement relative thereto, and 2. In sheet metal Work, the combination a downwardly converging tapered extension. of a perforated plate havlng an integral GUSTAV E. SCHMIDT.

copies at this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

walhlngton, D. 0." 

